ALL THE THINGS!
This icon is ridiculously appropriate for me today. Because, to date, I have:
-- gone to the market LIKE AN ADULT
-- done two edits for Translation Company
-- had breakfast
-- read book
-- doodled around way too much on the internet
-- lunch
-- cleaned kitchen sink & area
-- cleaned bathroom sink
-- washed a load of dishes
-- put in a load of laundry
...and now I have to hit the bank, go to the store (shampoo, conditioner, drinks, gum, fruit, anythign else?), head by Bincai & figure out classes, then come back and head into another round of Responsible Cleaning. Long Term stuff features unpacking, planning classes, putting old grading stuff away, and installing appliances. PICO'S BUSY LIFE
Last couple days were good. I'll enumerate in the same style as last tiems:
the 15th
Was frozen solid. Wore five layers of shirt (silk longunderloos, thermal shirt, UnderArmor, knit sweater, and coat) two and a half layers of pants (silk longunderloos, cargo pants, knee-long socks) and felt halfway warm. Went to Xidan markt. Xidan markt was closed til 10. Lost patience, went to a Starbucks (also closed til 10, but at least the guard guy was nice and talkative) and read two or three hours (hot chocolate with an almond syrup. Twice. gewd stuff.). Then went to Xidan markt and found, immediately, a rather nice pair of plain, simple brown sneakers that felt like they had been molded onto my feet. Bought. Wandered, lunched, read more, back to hostel. Cleaned & packed. Off to bank for $, then wandered for ages trying to find the meeting place appointed by my mom's work friend for dinner. Finally found, bit late, dined, talked, nice. Left around 8.15, headed to NLGX to meet my philipina friend (the friend I had meant to meet before all this happened, who'd been on a business trip til now). We talked and I suddenly crashed. Very weird: I'd be conversing, and then suddenly my head would go down and I'd sleep and then back up and converse more. Awkward! Back hostel around 11.30, sleep.
the 16th
Up, brek, skype, check out, to airport. Found checkout. Went for passport. PASSPORT MISSING HO SHIT. sat around frantically looking through my shit for passport and calling hostel and such for 15 minutes before finally it was in my luggage. Nice service people let me to the front of the line. Checked in, took plane, arrived in Harbin. While on plane, talked iwth seatmates, and the dude at the aisle (I was window) offered to drive me back to HIT. I was :? about it, but he waited for me and assured me he was just trying to be friendly. Finally, in parking lot I pulled out my phone and pretended to have been getting a message from a friend about being picked up. He probably knew what I was doing, but it was a face-saving way of saying "dude I am not gettin into no car with no strange man here". Took bus instead; arrived, filled cell phone, told everyone I was back. Arrived in apt, was confrtonted with the devestation that I left it in, plus some additional devastation of them having installed a vent hood while I was out. Felt emotionthing almost start, headed it off at the pass and walked dow nthe hall to Dan & Meiling's apt. Spent a happy hour talking with them and playing with baby! We ordered pizza; I came back and cleaned me up while it was being delivered, then back to their place for pizza din. Then, eventually, around 10, back apt and sleep.
AND THAT WAS THE LAST TWO DAYS
It is colder here in Harbink, but, as I thought, I don't feel as cold. Part of it is the heating: Harbin is so north they need heating everywhere. The other, though, is that it's not damp. Beijing, things were humid - 40-80% a day - and that, combined with no heating, made the cold sort of creep into you. Harbin, though, it's just frigid. And while it is indeed frigid - by frigid I mean your face goes numb when you're outside more than two minutes - it stays outside of your clothes, and doesn't feel so in-your-bones cold. And inside, radiators! Thousands of them!
My apartment is an utter horror. I am chipping slowly away at it. But right now my hands are pruney and dry, and the cuts on my pinkies (remind me to tell you about those!) are D: and I don't want to wash jack right now.
so
TO THE BANK
LIKE AN ADULT
-- gone to the market LIKE AN ADULT
-- done two edits for Translation Company
-- had breakfast
-- read book
-- doodled around way too much on the internet
-- lunch
-- cleaned kitchen sink & area
-- cleaned bathroom sink
-- washed a load of dishes
-- put in a load of laundry
...and now I have to hit the bank, go to the store (shampoo, conditioner, drinks, gum, fruit, anythign else?), head by Bincai & figure out classes, then come back and head into another round of Responsible Cleaning. Long Term stuff features unpacking, planning classes, putting old grading stuff away, and installing appliances. PICO'S BUSY LIFE
Last couple days were good. I'll enumerate in the same style as last tiems:
the 15th
Was frozen solid. Wore five layers of shirt (silk longunderloos, thermal shirt, UnderArmor, knit sweater, and coat) two and a half layers of pants (silk longunderloos, cargo pants, knee-long socks) and felt halfway warm. Went to Xidan markt. Xidan markt was closed til 10. Lost patience, went to a Starbucks (also closed til 10, but at least the guard guy was nice and talkative) and read two or three hours (hot chocolate with an almond syrup. Twice. gewd stuff.). Then went to Xidan markt and found, immediately, a rather nice pair of plain, simple brown sneakers that felt like they had been molded onto my feet. Bought. Wandered, lunched, read more, back to hostel. Cleaned & packed. Off to bank for $, then wandered for ages trying to find the meeting place appointed by my mom's work friend for dinner. Finally found, bit late, dined, talked, nice. Left around 8.15, headed to NLGX to meet my philipina friend (the friend I had meant to meet before all this happened, who'd been on a business trip til now). We talked and I suddenly crashed. Very weird: I'd be conversing, and then suddenly my head would go down and I'd sleep and then back up and converse more. Awkward! Back hostel around 11.30, sleep.
the 16th
Up, brek, skype, check out, to airport. Found checkout. Went for passport. PASSPORT MISSING HO SHIT. sat around frantically looking through my shit for passport and calling hostel and such for 15 minutes before finally it was in my luggage. Nice service people let me to the front of the line. Checked in, took plane, arrived in Harbin. While on plane, talked iwth seatmates, and the dude at the aisle (I was window) offered to drive me back to HIT. I was :? about it, but he waited for me and assured me he was just trying to be friendly. Finally, in parking lot I pulled out my phone and pretended to have been getting a message from a friend about being picked up. He probably knew what I was doing, but it was a face-saving way of saying "dude I am not gettin into no car with no strange man here". Took bus instead; arrived, filled cell phone, told everyone I was back. Arrived in apt, was confrtonted with the devestation that I left it in, plus some additional devastation of them having installed a vent hood while I was out. Felt emotionthing almost start, headed it off at the pass and walked dow nthe hall to Dan & Meiling's apt. Spent a happy hour talking with them and playing with baby! We ordered pizza; I came back and cleaned me up while it was being delivered, then back to their place for pizza din. Then, eventually, around 10, back apt and sleep.
AND THAT WAS THE LAST TWO DAYS
It is colder here in Harbink, but, as I thought, I don't feel as cold. Part of it is the heating: Harbin is so north they need heating everywhere. The other, though, is that it's not damp. Beijing, things were humid - 40-80% a day - and that, combined with no heating, made the cold sort of creep into you. Harbin, though, it's just frigid. And while it is indeed frigid - by frigid I mean your face goes numb when you're outside more than two minutes - it stays outside of your clothes, and doesn't feel so in-your-bones cold. And inside, radiators! Thousands of them!
My apartment is an utter horror. I am chipping slowly away at it. But right now my hands are pruney and dry, and the cuts on my pinkies (remind me to tell you about those!) are D: and I don't want to wash jack right now.
so
TO THE BANK
LIKE AN ADULT